More than 99 percent calcium is in the skeleton. The rest 1 percent is equally distributed between the teeth and soft tissues. The rigidity of the skeleton is generally provided by calcium carbonate.

Calcium makes up to 2 percent of total body weight. All living things possess powerful mechanism to conserve calcium and maintain constant cellular and extra cellular fluid(ECF) calcium concentrations. These mechanisms can demineralize bones to prevent hypocalcemia in case of severe dietary deficiency or abnormal losses.

The amounts of dietary calcium required to maintain metabolic balance vary with physiological need, intestinal absorption, and kidney retention. Only 30-50 percent of ingested calcium is normally absorbed. Calium strenghthens bones and teeth. It also helps muscles contraction and improves nerve impulse transmission.  Calcium prevents blood clotting.

Deficency  in calcium leads to  defective mineralization of bones and may cause  loss of bone mass. The lack of calcium in childerns’ diet leads to rickets ( softening of bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity).

Excess of calcium in our diet can lead  to tissue calcification in organs such as arteries, liver, heart and kidney, which leads to  the formation of renal stone.

Recommended Daily Allowance

400 mg 0 – 6 months
600 mg 6 months – 1 year
800 mg children aged between 1 and 10 years
1200 mg Adolescents and adults ages between 11 and 24 years
800 mg adults aged between 25 and 50 years